сравнение: Vredestein ULTRAC срещу. Hankook Ventus Prime 4 (2026)

Averaged across two measured braking tests, the dry stopping distances are almost identical: the Vredestein ULTRAC averages 36.1 metres and the Hankook Ventus Prime 4 averages 35.9 metres — a gap of just 0.2 metres that, from 100 km/h, represents well under a car length and carries no real-world consequence. Both tyres punched well above their weight in the 2024 Auto Bild 205/55 R16 mega-brake test across 55 competitors, finishing third and fourth respectively, separated by just 0.2 metres (ULTRAC 36.1m, Ventus Prime 4 35.9m). The 2022 215/55 R17 equivalent told a similar story: Ventus Prime 4 second with 35.8m, ULTRAC fourth with 36.1m across a 51-tyre field. On pure stopping power in a straight line, these two tyres are genuinely matched.

Where the Ventus Prime 4 pulls decisively ahead is in everything that happens between the braking zones. Its dry-handling-objective score of 97.5 in detailed test assessments is exceptional — one of the highest figures in the premium summer segment — and testers consistently describe its dry character as dynamic, neutral and confidence-inspiring. Owners back this up emphatically: a Peugeot 206 owner switching from Continental Sport Contact 2 reported the Prime 4 pushed the handling limit nearly 20 km/h higher, with an almost complete elimination of understeer. The ULTRAC, by contrast, draws consistent criticism for a bouncy, imprecise dry character — specifically a slow rear-axle response to quick direction changes and sensitivity to load changes that produces a mildly unstable tail under abrupt inputs. Its dry-lane-change score of 84 trails the Ventus Prime 4's dry-handling-objective of 97.5 by a significant margin, and a mild understeer tendency on both wet and dry tarmac has been flagged repeatedly across multiple test programmes.

The comprehensive test results tell the full story. In the ADAC 2024 215/55 R17 test of 16 tyres — where dry handling, high-speed stability, and lane-change response are all weighted — the ULTRAC finished dead last, rated merely adequate, while the Ventus Prime 4 placed eighth with a satisfactory verdict. In the 2024 Auto Bild 20-tyre 205/55 R16 comparison, the ULTRAC was twentieth of twenty; the Ventus Prime 4 was eighth. In the 2022 Auto Bild 21-tyre 215/55 R17 test, the Ventus Prime 4 finished second with an exemplary rating; the ULTRAC placed fourteenth with a satisfactory verdict. These results confirm that while the ULTRAC's raw stopping power is competitive, its overall dry-road competence — once handling precision, stability under load and direction-change response are factored in — falls well short of its Korean rival.

Averaged across two measured wet braking tests, the Vredestein ULTRAC records 27.4 metres and the Hankook Ventus Prime 4 records 27.8 metres — a 0.4-metre advantage to the ULTRAC across two data points. From a real emergency stop at 80 km/h, 0.4 metres is roughly a quarter of a car length, which is meaningful in a genuine crisis. The individual test results show the gap was most pronounced in 205/55 R16 format — ULTRAC 26.6m against the Ventus Prime 4's 27.7m, a full metre of difference — while in 215/55 R17 the positions reversed slightly, with the Ventus Prime 4 recording 27.8m against the ULTRAC's 28.2m. Across the two tests combined, the ULTRAC's wet braking edge is real, if modest.

The aquaplaning story is where the ULTRAC becomes genuinely compelling. Its aquaplaning performance score of 86.6 compares to 74.4 for the Ventus Prime 4 — a 12.2-point gap that reflects fundamentally different tread architecture priorities. The ULTRAC's aquaplaning-longitudinal detail score of 88.1 and cross-aquaplaning score of 85.1 demonstrate efficient water evacuation in both straight-line and cornering scenarios, and Tyre Reviews named it best in test in that discipline in 2023. Testers across multiple programmes consistently highlight its composure in standing water as a genuine standout quality. The Ventus Prime 4's lower aquaplaning score is corroborated by 2025 Aftonbladet results where hydroplaning resistance was listed as one of its positives but not a headline strength, and by 2026 ADAC assessments noting a noticeably weaker wet performance overall. For drivers who regularly encounter flooded roads or heavy summer downpours, this is not an abstract engineering statistic — it represents meaningful extra margin before the front tyres lose contact with the road surface.

On wet handling more broadly, the ULTRAC again leads in objective measured terms: its wet-handling-objective score of 92.3 compares to 87.5 for the Ventus Prime 4, and its wet-circle-cornering score of 86.1 edges the Hankook's 86.2 into a near-dead heat. The overall character is forgiving and predictable — testers describe easy controllability and good lateral stability in the wet, and owners of everyday family cars confirm this feel. The Ventus Prime 4 is not insecure in the wet; its wet-handling score of 84.7 and wet-braking score of 81.1 place it solidly in the upper half of the premium summer segment. But in a direct comparison in conditions that stress aquaplaning resistance and ultimate wet confidence, the ULTRAC is the sharper tool.

Ride comfort is one of the ULTRAC's most consistent strengths and, in certain configurations, a genuinely class-leading attribute. A Kia Ceed owner described the 205/55 R16 as outstandingly soft even on that model's firm first-generation suspension — softer, in fact, than his winter tyres. Tyre Reviews awarded the ULTRAC class-leading refinement and the lowest noise levels in its 2025 comparative, and its noise detail score of 96.5 in the tests where it was rigorously measured is exceptional. However, the noise picture varies significantly by size: the same tyre received elevated external noise criticism in other test configurations, and a Skoda Yeti owner running it for 35,000 miles found it noisy on country roads. The overall noise performance score of 71.4 reflects this inconsistency across the range. Additionally, a slight pottiness over rough surfaces has been noted by testers — the ride is not unconditionally smooth, and the bouncy dry-handling characteristic carries over into the comfort domain on patchy or undulating tarmac. The Ventus Prime 4 scores 80.0 on comfort against the ULTRAC's 78.7, and its interior and exterior noise detail scores of 77 and 78 are consistent if unspectacular — one 2026 test recorded it as the loudest tyre in the group at 75.5 dB, so it is not flawless on refinement, but across its broad range it delivers predictable, acceptable noise levels without the size-dependent variability of the Vredestein.

On rolling resistance and fuel economy, the Ventus Prime 4 holds a clear and economically significant advantage. Its rolling resistance performance score of 75.0 compares to the ULTRAC's 66.3 — a gap of nearly nine points that translates into measurably higher fuel consumption mile after mile with the Vredestein. The Ventus Prime 4 achieves EU label B fuel efficiency ratings across 28% of its range and A ratings across 10%, with C representing the majority; the ULTRAC's EU fuel data is not published, but its elevated rolling resistance has been flagged consistently across multiple independent test programmes. For a driver covering 15,000 kilometres per year, the difference in fuel spend over the life of a set of tyres is not trivial. The Ventus Prime 4 was specifically commended for dynamic behaviour combined with low rolling resistance in 2024 testing — a combination that is genuinely difficult to achieve and that the ULTRAC cannot match.

Tread life is where the gap between these two tyres becomes most consequential. The ULTRAC's mileage performance score of 45.3 is among the weakest figures in the premium summer segment — multiple independent test organisations recorded high abrasion rates and projected low tyre life, and the ADAC 2024 assessment specifically flagged high wear as a major negative. The Ventus Prime 4 scores 74.2 on mileage, a difference of nearly 29 points that translates into substantially longer tread life in real-world use. A Honda Civic Type R owner who ran the ULTRAC for 35,000 miles gave it a rating of just 27/100, describing catastrophic sidewall feel and stability loss — a stark reminder that for performance-oriented drivers, the tyre deteriorates in character well before it is legally worn out. The Ventus Prime 4 owners report the opposite experience: consistent feel and grip maintained across tens of thousands of kilometres. When the purchase price is spread over the additional kilometres the Ventus Prime 4 delivers, its cost-per-kilometre advantage over the ULTRAC is substantial — making it the more economical choice despite similar or identical shelf pricing.